Book:Trumps

The dazzling powers belonging to the hero of legend and the sinister abilities possessed by the villain of whispered rumors are represented in the Elysium game by Trumps. Trumps are extraordinary talents and properties that a character can attain either at character creation or as the game progresses.

Trumps can be purchased like Skills for a certain number of Expoints. Instead of a set number, each Trump lists its own cost. For example, the Trivia Whiz Trump costs one Expoint.

A character has no limit on the number of Trumps he or she can possess; the only limit is the number of Expoints earned during the game. Listed below are the Trumps available for purchase.

Physical Trumps

Physical Trumps are those that apply to the character's body.

Acute Sense

2

Your senses of hearing, seeing, and smelling are heightened. You gain a +1 bonus on Perception and Search checks when relying on your senses (i.e. you do not receive the bonus when making a Personality + Search check to gather information, etc).

Incompatible with: Anosmia, Hearing Impaired, Poor Vision, Deaf, and Blind

Ambidexterity

4

You can use either hand for many different tasks, including combat, with no penalties for using your nondominant hand, although you will still prefer one hand over the other for most tasks. If you have trained to use Dual Weapons, the weapons can be used interchangeably in either hand.

Incompatible with: Unarmed

Anchor

3

You are one tough son-of-a-gun to budge once you get planted. You receive a +4 bonus to Gymnastics and Might checks to resist attempts to move you or knock you prone. This includes the Slam and Trip combat tactics, as well as being moved while in a Grab. This doesn't necessarily mean your character is obese, maybe just dense or well balanced. Consider a career in wrestling.

Incompatible with: Featherweight and Lousy Balance

Attractive

2/4/6

You are remarkably easy on the eyes, kid. A two point version of this trump makes you Attractive. For four points, your features fall into all the right places and you are considered Beautiful. Six points ranks you as Stunning: you possess the face and body of a deity whose very countenance steals hearts and melts away anger — get used to being ogled. Your looks grant you a respective +1, +2, or +3 bonus on Leadership and Seduce checks based on your level of attractiveness.

Incompatible with: Unremarkable, Shady, and Unappealing. Those who are marked by a facial Battle Scar may not be more than Attractive, and anyone suffering from a Deformity may only be Beautiful or Stunning if the aberration is easily concealed. Also see restrictions on Old.

Bloodhound

4

Your sense of smell is much more highly developed than the average for your race. You notice odors that others are unaware of, and recognize smell differences between which no one else can differentiate. This means that you are even capable of tracking particularly aromatic creatures or objects over short distances by smell alone. It also means you'll notice immediately if your companions forget to bathe. You gain a +2 bonus to Search and Perception checks for which your keen sense of smell could prove helpful.

Incompatible with: Broken Sniffer

Chameleon

4

Patience and camouflage are your stock-in-trade. You have mastered the art of staying in one position, effectively motionless, for long periods of time and then creeping forward unnoticed. You gain a +2 bonus to Stealth and Disguise checks.

Incompatible with: Clumsy, Easily Distracted, Hyperactive, and Walking Target.

Chem Resistant

3

Chemical agents of any sort are severely reduced in efficiency when used upon you, but beware: this trump limits the effectiveness of beneficial drugs as well, from anesthetics to healing potions. Note that long-term drug abuse will result in a similar resistance to the specific drug in question, thus reinforcing the insidious cycle of addiction. When under the effects of a helpful or harmful chemical or alchemical substance you take one half (round down) the benefits, damage, or penalties normally incurred and the effective duration is halved.

Requires: A minimum Endurance of 5

Contortionist

2

You can wriggle and bend like no other. Whenever held or bound, no matter how securely, you can always re-roll a failed Thievery check made to escape from bonds (though if this second check fails, you’re out of luck).

Incompatible with: some Deformities, Lame, Obese, Ancient, and Prehistoric.

Ears of the Bat

4

You could hear a pin drop, couldn't you? In fact, your ears are so good that you perceive sounds one octave above and below the average range for your race. Your exceptional hearing assures you a +2 bonus on all Perception and Search checks which involve hearing.

Incompatible with: Hearing Impaired, and Deaf.

Fast Healer

6

Your body repairs damage at a much faster rate than others, perhaps due to metabolism, some supernatural effect, or a close connection with the planet. In game terms, you heal twice as many Health Points in the same amount of time as others. Don’t hold your breath waiting for that arm to grow back, though.

Incompatible with: Slow Healer, fabricated creatures, undead creatures

Featherweight

3

You are considerably lighter and more compact than you appear, and your weight is evenly distributed. You find climbing easy and gain a +2 bonus to Grip checks for climbing. Additionally, the Might DL to hoist, carry, or toss you is −2.

Incompatible with: Anchor, Dead Weight, Massive, and Obese (you might be lighter than you look, but you're still hefty!)

Feline Balance

2

You are as graceful as a cat. You gain a +2 bonus to Gymnastics checks. Whenever you fall and take no damage, you land on your feet (and don't gain the prone condition).

Incompatible with: Clumsy, Lame, and Lousy Balance.

Requires: A minimum Agility of 6

Hale

2

Your immune system is working overtime. This means that you are highly resistant to even the most powerful diseases. You receive a +4 bonus to Vitality for resisting any type of illness or infectious disease. Your body, however, regards any intrusion as a direct assault, and will violently reject any form of transplant, transfusion, symbiote, or implant, whether supernatural or technological in nature.

Incompatible with: Sickly

Requires: A minimum Endurance of 5

Hawk Eyes

4

You could pick out a polar bear on an ice flow in the midst of a snowstorm at a hundred yards. You gain a +2 bonus to all Perception and Search checks which rely on vision, and you suffer only half the distance penalties with ranged weapons.

Incompatible with: Poor Vision, and Blind

Iron Grip

4

You are gifted with a bone-crushing grip. You gain a +4 bonus to Grip checks, both in and out of combat. You never drop a weapon or item, even on a Critical Failure. Your handshake will impress those who respect strength and cow those who fear it.

Incompatible with: Frail, Scrawny, and Unarmed

Requires: A minimum Muscle of 6

Massive

4

You are just plain huge — you're one Size higher than the norm for your species. For example, an adult human (normally Size 0) is now Size 1, over 7 feet tall and more than 300 pounds. You're easier to hit, but your hits are way harder (puny runts and their tiny weapons!) There are disadvantages to being gigantic: difficulty fitting into clothing and armor (costs twice normal amount) and being targeted by bellicose drunks and would-be tough guys everywhere you go, to name a few.

The Massive trump is often found in the company of Little Piggy, Walking Target, and Brawler.

Incompatible with: Featherweight, Scrawny, Unremarkable, and Vertically Challenged

Poison Immunity

4

Through natural or supernatural means, you are completely immune to poisons of any kind, even magic spells that bestow similar effects. In game terms, you automatically pass Vitality checks made to resist poison. Perhaps you can chalk it up to the years of a small amount of arsenic in your morning coffee, or maybe someone up there just likes you. It should be noted that immunity does not grant awareness. For instance, if you drink a goblet of poisoned wine, you would have no idea there was a vile toxin within unless the poison tastes remarkably different than the substance in which it’s placed. Also, immunity to poison does not grant any protection against concoctions like the Chem Resistant trump does.

Requires: A minimum Endurance of 5

Shadow Warrior

4

You move through the shadows like a soft breath of air, and know how to strike from the darkness to deadly effect. You gain a +2 bonus to Stealth and Dash checks. They'll never know what slit 'em.

Incompatible with: Clumsy, Lame, and Walking Target

Siren Song

2

Your voice is melodic and very sensual. You gain a +2 bonus to rolls involving Seduction (when talking is involved), Negotiation, OR Performance (pick one).

Incompatible with: Deaf and Mute

Speedy Reflexes

4

Your brain is wired to your body a little better than most. When you spot trouble coming, you're quick to either draw your weapon or get the hell out of the way. You receive a +2 bonus to Reaction and Dodge checks.

Incompatible with: Clumsy

Requires: A minimum Agility of 4

Tempered

1

Like good steel put through searing flame, you have become more durable by surviving past wounds. For every point you spend, you may add one Health Point to your maximum.

Unremarkable

4

There's absolutely nothing about you that catches the eye. Unless you dress or act to attract attention, you can disappear into a crowd without even trying, and people tend to forget you as soon as you leave their sight. Even your friends and relatives are hard-pressed to provide more than the most general details of your physical description. While it sounds boring, being the epitome of average offers definite benefits in dangerous times. It is nearly impossible to track or identify you based solely upon your appearance, and you gain a +2 bonus to Stealth, Thievery, and Disguise rolls while in a crowd (at least 15 people). Finally, foes will tend to underestimate you in battle, and in any situation where someone is choosing a target at random to attack, you'll be last picked. Note that these bonuses may be negated by your race or ethnicity — the blandest-looking evengar will still stand out in a human village.

Incompatible with: Attractive, Aura of Decay, any prominent Battle Scar, or Deformity, Blind, Girl/Guy Magnet, Lame, Massive, Mistaken Identity, Obese, Shady, Stage Presence, Unappealing, Unarmed, Vertically Challenged, or Walking Target. Compatible with Missing Hand/Arm or Poor Vision (for a missing eye) only if a reasonably real-looking prosthetic conceals the absent appendage/organ.

Requires: A maximum Presence of 5

Workhorse

3

You can bring all of the groceries inside in a single trip. You receive a +2 bonus on Might checks for pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, or throwing heavy objects. Additionally, when carrying a willing creature, you don't gain the hampered condition.

Incompatible with: Sluggard and Scrawny

Requires: A minimum Endurance of 5